Digital wireless communication services, such as Personal Communications Services (“PCS”) and others, provide all the advantages of a traditional landline telephone plus all the conveniences of a cellular phone at a reduced cost in improved capability. PCS, for example operates in specific geographical areas and frequency bands established by government regulations. In this way, carriers are enabled to provide new specialized wireless or mobile services in specified geographic areas. PCS, for example, is a digital service wherein each carrier has a different array of antennas around the local area to provide service.
Digital wireless communication systems, such as PCS, offer the ability to customize service to meet the needs of the user. Such systems provide features not always available with analog cellular phones, including voice mail, Caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and paging. PCS and other digital wireless telephones can receive and display textual messages, and have a more sophisticated display capability than typical cellular telephones. It would be advantageous to utilize this greater display capability along with the specialized features associated with digital wireless communication systems, to provide an advertising system with the ability to transmit messages to a user in such a way that the user can receive the messages without interference with normal operation of the phone. The current invention provides such an information system.
It would be further advantageous to provide a business method incorporating the advertising system of the present invention to provide a reverse subscription method such that the value of the messages or advertisements displayed over the digital cellular telephone system offset the cost of the wireless communications service to the user. In one embodiment, the advertisers contribute to the cost of the user account in exchange for the right to display an advertising message on the user's digital telephone. In another embodiment, the user receives content or discounts on content from the advertisers or the wireless carriers in exchange for the right to display an advertising message on the user's digital telephone.
It would also be advantageous for wireless communication service providers, such as wireless carriers, mobile virtual network operators, and other wireless network operators, as well as other goods and services providers, to display information about particular services, brands, promotions, partnerships, future events, and other consumer or customer service information to particular customers.